We hear the music, we taste the king cake, but for many of us it's the sight of purple, green, and gold that brings the reality of Carnival season home. Mardi Gras wasn't always so consistently colored, though.
The Colors of Mardi Gras - The History of Mardi Gras
The Krewe of Rex introduced this color scheme in 1872, simply because they look good together, but they stuck. Rex assigned a meaning to each of the colors in the 1892 parade. The parade was entitled "Symbolism of Colors". Rex's interpretation of the color:
Purple represented justice
Green was symbolic of faith
Gold represented power
The Colors of Mardi Gras - The History of Mardi Gras
Today we see these special colors on many different things during the Carnival season.
The Colors of Mardi Gras - The History of Mardi Gras
The Colors of Mardi Gras - The History of Mardi Gras
The Colors of Mardi Gras - The History of Mardi Gras
The Colors of Mardi Gras - The History of Mardi Gras
The Colors of Mardi Gras - The History of Mardi Gras
The Colors of Mardi Gras - The History of Mardi Gras
The Krewe of Rex introduced this color scheme in 1872, simply because they look good together, but they stuck. Rex assigned a meaning to each of the colors in the 1892 parade. The parade was entitled "Symbolism of Colors".
Rex's interpretation of the color:
Today we see these special colors on many different things during the Carnival season.